Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid • Hacker News Board

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#261

Post by ricardobeat » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:14 PM UTC

mono442 wrote: post #77

Modern cars are horrible. I recently discovered that all new cars sold in the EU constantly beep at you for supposedly speeding, even though the system doesn’t work well, and it has to be turned off every time you start the car.

They beep when you go above the speed limit, and only for a couple seconds. If they do that 'constantly' the problem is in the driver's seat...

It takes two seconds to turn off in my car (though by law it has to reset on every drive), but I never bother. In situations where it's "ok" to drive a little over the limit, it's a small price to pay and a gentle reminder.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#262

Post by dotancohen » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC

phainopepla2 wrote: post #232

rdiddly wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walking out of the store with groceries generates a debt, no?

I believe that's more likely to generate a criminal charge

Then how about paying after ordering and eating a meal?

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#263

Post by anonymars » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC

mothballed wrote: post #222

HenryBemis wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have noticed, every independent candidate almost never gets elected. Vast majority of those who say they will "change the country to the better" either never get elected or are ousted early on. And those who stay change their tune. I fear that only blackmail-able people with the potential to win elections, get the support, so that they are beholden to someone who ultimately gives them the job (e.g. funding the…

Someone tried to create an entirely new country with minimal governance by dumping sand on a submerged reef until it became an island[]. Even then it was quickly co-opted by the nearing statist powers (Tonga) with the blessing of western powers. So it's not just that the primary process will crush anyone who will seriously roll back government powers. They won't even let anyone peacefully create an entirely new fucki…

Isn't that the libertarian paradox in a nutshell, the entire reason why "government" exists? Because in reality, the alternative is "might makes right" and a larger, stronger group will band together and steamroll the smaller and uncoordinated individuals?

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#264

Post by mistyvales » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC

I was debating replacing the head unit in my old VW, but I actually like that it has a six-disc CD changer, SD card slot (32GB max, with support for MP3, WAV, etc.), 40-pin iPod connection, and regular AUX in. I use my phone with a USB-C DAC and have never felt like I needed anything else. With AUX I can plug in my Walkmans as well (both cassette and MiniDisc)!

Dangerous, but hilarious (Dubai raver has set up a 303 and 606 to make acid house while he drives): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwYtjQk0QaU

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#265

Post by ssl-3 » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:16 PM UTC

Animats wrote: post #62

How good a position can you get from GPS today in receive only mode? You can download and store Open Street Map for individual states. Map data doesn't have to come in over the air. That's not the problem. It's enhancing GPS with cell phone tower data that's the problem. That requires a cell connection.

Resolution of less than 1 meter is normal with a decent view of the sky and a lack of interference. GPS itself is always receive-only on our end as consumers.

What problem are we trying to solve here? At this point in time, guided navigation with completely offline maps and GPS has already been a no-brainer off-the-shelf thing for decades.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#266

Post by advisedwang » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:19 PM UTC

ErroneousBosh wrote: post #208

mdasen wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> electric-drivetrain with onboard gasoline generator Generally speaking, it's more efficient to power a car using a series-parallel hybrid system than an electric drivetrain with generator (series hybrid) while not really being any more complicated. In a series hybrid (electric with generator), you're losing energy converting the rotational energy into electric energy. It's better to use the engine's output to power…

> Automatic Emergency Braking is going to be required in the US in 2029 (detecting frontal crashes about to happen and automatically braking, including pedestrian detection). I'm never going to want to drive a car that has that.

Why? You presumably don't enjoy get into frontal crashes, are you worried about it doing false positives? Is that a significant issue?

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#267

Post by cucumber3732842 » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:20 PM UTC

ok_dad wrote: post #68

xattt wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kias have a “Massachusetts mode” flag hidden behind a service menu (that needs a dealer code) that disables telematics at the owner’s request. However, the service menu pin also has timeout protection that will inject a waiting period between retries so there is no guessing. I don’t think there’s convincing my dealer to get into the service menu and disabling it. I would presume that other manufacturers might have th…

Give one of the mechanics $500 and I bet they’ll accidentally drop the password on the floor of the car as they get out after moving it inside to change the oil.

I bet if you can speak to the mechanic without the service advisor supervising the innteraction $100 would do it.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#268

Post by drtz » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:21 PM UTC

zakisaad wrote: post #259

ezfe wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does produce a local Wi-Fi network but there's no evidence that it supports internet communication. That would be considered a hotspot, which not all carriers even support.

I've never understood how this can be limited in practice: surely as far as the carrier is concerned, all traffic from the mobile device is the same (unless there are identifiers on the traffic coming from hotspotted devices via the mobile device). Here in Australia we've never had any form of hotspot detection/segmentation - if you have a data plan, all data features work (across all carriers). I do recall lots of o…

> surely as far as the carrier is concerned, all traffic from the mobile device is the same

Going on a bit of a tangent, but deep packet inspection can identify packets routed using NAT, so if the phone is operating as a typical hotspot it would be identifiable by your carrier. Carriers in the USA used to block / denylist / charge extra for tethering using this exact approach.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#269

Post by mothballed » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:23 PM UTC

anonymars wrote: post #263

mothballed wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone tried to create an entirely new country with minimal governance by dumping sand on a submerged reef until it became an island[]. Even then it was quickly co-opted by the nearing statist powers (Tonga) with the blessing of western powers. So it's not just that the primary process will crush anyone who will seriously roll back government powers. They won't even let anyone peacefully create an entirely new fucki…

Isn't that the libertarian paradox in a nutshell, the entire reason why "government" exists? Because in reality, the alternative is "might makes right" and a larger, stronger group will band together and steamroll the smaller and uncoordinated individuals?

Government is might makes right, just with a nice name slapped on it. Minerva was minarchist, not anarchist, but for whatever reason they chose not to defend their country by force. Somaliland and the remains of Rojava come to mind as present-day ~minarchist governments that defended their territory by force and ~succeeded. The point being is these kind of changes won't be allowed by election or peacefully. The primaries stop the election process and the militaries stop the peaceful separation process.

America did have a period of relatively small government intervention at the beginning, but that took a war with Britain. It also had some periods of it during the pre-founding (some of 1600s Pennsylvania and Rhode Island while Britain was occupied elsewhere). Pennsylvania (before it was a state) in particular was basically straight up anarchist for I want to say, about 20 years.

Re: Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

#270

Post by angoragoats » Thu, May 14, 2026, 10:25 PM UTC

bigfishrunning wrote: post #142

whamlastxmas wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about "just raise prices", it's about some industries (e.g. upstart restaurants) that already have massive failure rates and have hyper competition. Even airlines don't make money on flights, and instead only on selling credits cards or other perks. If your operating costs are some percentage higher for accepting cash versus the coffee shop across the street that doesn't, you're more likely to fail.

If everyone has to accept cash, then everyone has the same costs and the point is moot. At any rate, courts are required to accept legal tender, and I think that requirement ought to extend to businesses as well.

> At any rate, courts are required to accept legal tender

Assuming you’re talking about the US here: there is no such requirement, at least not at the federal level. Individual states may have their own laws, but see for example this notice [0] from a Texas federal court that they will no longer accept cash as of May 21, 2021.

[0] https://www.txnb.uscourts.gov/news/notice-court-will-no-long...